Top Gear US Season 3 Premiere 8/14/2012 (possible season thread discussion)

Overall, I thought the Season 3 premiere episode was rather lackluster, and reminded me much of Season 1.

However, I naturally wanted to see them do the cop car comparison.

I was surprised that the Ford actually beat the Dodge and Aussie-Chevy, given that it is a FWD car adapted to AWD and has a turbo. I especially thought that turbo lag would hamper the Ford, but it hit 100 MPH faster than the others did. I would have liked to see them do some sort of real slalom course to test out the handling, and not that crummy "test" involving eating donuts and Rockford u-turns.

Didn't realize this show was back on. Not a show I love, but I like it enough to watch. Pretty much always fast forward through the celebrity interview and drive around the track. Just not as good as the UK version.

I HAVE to watch because it's called Top Gear, but it really is nothing close. Third season and it still looks so fake - right down to the cut shots of traffic in among the off-road reality. There is absolutely no chemistry between the presenters and even the open door gag was forced.

BTW, the Taurus IS designed as an AWD car. It's available as an option and, I think the SHO is AWD as standard.

This is really a perfect subject for this show. A legit 3 cars competing in the same market, which one is better. First test actually had some validity to the question. But the rest were crap.

The donut thing was stupid and insulting. And overall, is a dirt road really a major concern for most departments? And the tear gas. I understand the symbolism, but again, is that really a concern?

I think overall comfort and how it manifests itself in fatigue is a genuine, and testable concern. As mention above, a real handling test would have been valid. And finally, it would have been interesting, if not really relevant, to test their winner against the old Crown Vic.

BTW, the Taurus IS designed as an AWD car. It's available as an option and, I think the SHO is AWD as standard.

Click to expand...

For that reason alone, many departments are hesitant to buy it, just like many departments (including mine) refused to buy the Impala for patrol work. In addition to the perception that FWD/AWD is not as robust as RWD, there's the real added complexity of AWD and the increased servicing as well.

The donut thing was stupid and insulting. And overall, is a dirt road really a major concern for most departments? And the tear gas. I understand the symbolism, but again, is that really a concern?

I think overall comfort and how it manifests itself in fatigue is a genuine, and testable concern. As mention above, a real handling test would have been valid. And finally, it would have been interesting, if not really relevant, to test their winner against the old Crown Vic.

Click to expand...

The donut thing was stupid, but some perceptions refuse to die. You're far more likely to find a cop at a convenience store than donut shop, and far more likely to find a cop holding a Big Gulp than a donut, but somehow that meme never caught on.

Dirt road performance is a concern for rural departments, but that test was absolutely meaningless, and really wasn't even that entertaining. And while there could be a reason for a sharpshooter to be shooting out of a moving car (our SWAT guys practice it from a helicopter), that's not car-dependent. That's dependent on the ability of the driver to drive smoothly so the sharpshooter can take and maintain a good sight picture.

I hope they plan on replacing the entire interiors of those cars, or those cars were going to be sent to the crusher anyway, because there is no way you'll fully get that tear gas out of the fabrics, foam, etc.

This is really a perfect subject for this show. A legit 3 cars competing in the same market, which one is better. First test actually had some validity to the question. But the rest were crap.

The donut thing was stupid and insulting. And overall, is a dirt road really a major concern for most departments? And the tear gas. I understand the symbolism, but again, is that really a concern?

I think overall comfort and how it manifests itself in fatigue is a genuine, and testable concern. As mention above, a real handling test would have been valid. And finally, it would have been interesting, if not really relevant, to test their winner against the old Crown Vic.

Click to expand...

Uh..have you ever actually watched the original Top Gear? It's not a real car review show..well, it was the first and maybe second season but it hasn't been in over 10 years. It's pure entertainment.

I think you guys are being too hard here. I commented that I thought it was the best episode yet and the end race was very much Top Gear-like and more interesting than any other challenge they've done. Last year they played it too safe..hopefully they open it up a bit more this year.

The big problem with the US version is US television. We get 40 mins of actual content. They get a real hour in the UK so you can fit more things like the "Big star, small car" stuff in where I think in the US it won't be in every episode.

I thought this episode was pretty bad. I keep watching because there were a couple segments didn't suck last season, but no evidence of that so far this year. It's amazing how these 3 guys can have so little chemistry going into their 3rd year.

Uh..have you ever actually watched the original Top Gear? It's not a real car review show..well, it was the first and maybe second season but it hasn't been in over 10 years. It's pure entertainment.

I think you guys are being too hard here. I commented that I thought it was the best episode yet and the end race was very much Top Gear-like and more interesting than any other challenge they've done. Last year they played it too safe..hopefully they open it up a bit more this year.

Click to expand...

This. I don't get BBCA and I've only seen one episode of the UK Top Gear. I'm sure it's a great show. But I don't think everyone should judge the US version in comparison to the UK version. Just view it as a reality/entertainment show about cars and you'll be much happier.

I really wish the original NBC pilot with Adam Carolla rather than Adam Ferrara had been picked up, but other than that, I have no problem with the hosts. I like the playful banter back and forth among them and the way they tease Adam about being a crappy driver and loving American land yachts, and the way they make fun of Rutledge's huge head and always wearing plaid, and the way they crack on Tanner about being preppy and always preferring Japanese cars, etc.

And the challenges rarely have anything to do with the real capabilities of the cars. They're just designed to be entertaining. If you want to complain about a show that should be measuring the real capabilities of the cars but isn't, complain about Tanner Faust's other show, "Battle of the Supercars," with Paul Tracy. That show should be a lot more informative/entertaining than it is.

This. I don't get BBCA and I've only seen one episode of the UK Top Gear. I'm sure it's a great show. But I don't think everyone should judge the US version in comparison to the UK version. Just view it as a reality/entertainment show about cars and you'll be much happier.

I really wish the original NBC pilot with Adam Carolla rather than Adam Ferrara had been picked up, but other than that, I have no problem with the hosts. I like the playful banter back and forth among them and the way they tease Adam about being a crappy driver and loving American land yachts, and the way they make fun of Rutledge's huge head and always wearing plaid, and the way they crack on Tanner about being preppy and always preferring Japanese cars, etc.

And the challenges rarely have anything to do with the real capabilities of the cars. They're just designed to be entertaining. If you want to complain about a show that should be measuring the real capabilities of the cars but isn't, complain about Tanner Faust's other show, "Battle of the Supercars," with Paul Tracy. That show should be a lot more informative/entertaining than it is.

I get what you are saying, but it is hard not to compare it to the UK version when entire episodes/challenges are lifted directly from the UK episodes. You just have to be able to let it go.

Click to expand...

If it looks like a duck...

My argument is precisely this...it's CALLED Top Gear! For it to be a different show, it should be named something else. Otherwise, comparisons are not only inevitable, they are expected!

I could suggest other titles like "Three Completely Unfunny Guys Doing Stupid Things With Cars." or "How To Copy A Successful British Show With Something That Doesn't Even Come Close." and a few others!

I was entertained for forty-two minutes, or whatever it is these days. I thought it was kind of weird they went to the Ford proving ground and all they apparently decided to do there was go 0-100-0. Didn't this place have anything else interesting to do? Certainly there must've been something better than the teargas idea.

The dirt challenge was lame given one of the cars was AWD, but I still found it amusing enough to watch.

In the last segment with the Z06, I enjoyed watching Tanner drive the crap out of that car. These sort of nonsensical "races" are as lame on the UK show as they are here, but I still enjoy watching the driving talent. I thought some of the editing oddly emphasized that there were multiple different "takes" being used.

Speaking of the dirt challenge, did Adam actually win on time? Adam skipped eating about 3/4 of a donut, and then finished in 2:12, and they gave him a one-minute penalty, to put him at 3:12. Tanner threw about half a donut out the window, sped through the shooting section, and then when he finished, they told him he also got a one-minute penalty, putting him at 3:33. Does that mean his actual time was 2:33, and that Adam beat him by over 20 seconds? I find that hard to believe.

And I totally agree on the Ford Proving Ground footage. I guess they showed some footage of the three cars cruising around on the high-speed test track, but you would think they would have made better use of that facility. A 0-100-0 challenge can be performed on any old abandoned runway. By the way, the 0-100-0 challenge is a staple on Tanner's "Battle of the Supercars" show.

Speaking of the dirt challenge, did Adam actually win on time? Adam skipped eating about 3/4 of a donut, and then finished in 2:12, and they gave him a one-minute penalty, to put him at 3:12. Tanner threw about half a donut out the window, sped through the shooting section, and then when he finished, they told him he also got a one-minute penalty, putting him at 3:33. Does that mean his actual time was 2:33, and that Adam beat him by over 20 seconds? I find that hard to believe.

Click to expand...

Like so many of their challenges, there is so much cheating and/or sabotaging going on to really determine a winner.

Like so many of their challenges, there is so much cheating and/or sabotaging going on to really determine a winner.

Click to expand...

I'm not worried so much about the "winner" or whether there was cheater. I'm just surprised Adam's time appeared to be faster than Tanner's, but over 20 seconds. Tanner is never slower in challenges where driving skill is the primary factor.